“Carrier” is a ten part ten hour long mini series on the PBS channel based around life on the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. 17 filmmakers went aboard the carrier during a 6 month journey which brought the carrier from its port in Coronado, California to Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Hong Kong China, Guam, Kuala Lumpur, the Persian Gulf, Perth Australia, and then back to port. The show is based around a core group of 18 people from the lowest sailor to the fighter pilot and even the captain of the ship but also you get to see the other 5,000 sailors and marines in action. The series is meant to show the life of the average person in the US Navy, their struggles on the carrier and off and everything these young people are going through while at the same time working on a ship in the middle of war.
The PBS mini series is broken into ten parts all with their own themes. Each theme dives deeper and deeper into the life of the sailors on the ship from themes as large as family, faith, discipline, patriotism, love and war, the rites of passage and the war on terror, the series closely follows the core of characters trough their entire deployment. The mini series tells the stories by private interviews but also with just filming the crew in their regular day to day routines and conversations with their crewmates. It is as if The Real World mixed with the US Navy, it is part documentary part reality show.
“Carrier” as I have stated before follows around a core group of 18 pilots, marines, and sailors through some of their most trying times. Take Chris Altice an E-3/aviation ordnanceman for example. Altice who was 21 at the time of filming and who served in the Navy for 3-and-a-half years found out his new girlfriend was pregnant just 3 weeks before he had to leave for duty. During the full tour the PBS series followed Altice as he matured from an adolescent 21 year old and into a mature 21 year old father of a little girl. Another example is Lieutenant commander Kevin McLaughlin an F/A-18 pilot for Strike Fighter Squadron 94 (VFA-94), also known as “The Hoboes.” Mclaughlin served for 19 years in the Navy and during the mini series went through a lot of family troubles. He left his wife and 2 year old son at home while on deployment and mid way through his mission on the USS Nimitz he found out he was going to be a father again. Only tragedy struck the pilot when he found out his wife had lost the baby. The series follows Mclaughlin as he deals with his pain but at the same time must still fly and protect servicemen on the ground in Iraq. Those are just two of many stories that the mini series “Carrier” provides for its viewers to show the real people inside the US Navy.
Analysis:
My analysis of the mini series from PBS called “Carrier” is that it gives one of the most uncensored looks inside the Navy that has been seen. I am sure the Navy goes through every piece of footage and filters it and makes sure nothing to bad comes out but
the series gives the sailors honest thoughts on the military, on the war, and on themselves. “Carrier” does show some patterns in its hour longs sections such as when ever there is an interview that says something negative about the navy or the war the show makes sure that there is an interview right after it that states someone saying how much they enjoy the navy and how they support the war which usually ends up being an officer of the ship. Another pattern that emerges is the comment of the ship being just like high school. It is said in the series a number amount of times but also shows examples. Since “Carrier” was filmed by PBS there is a sense of trust as well due to the fact that PBS has been around for awhile and provides educational material making the show even more believable.
No comments:
Post a Comment